Taxi services now allowed in Redcliff’s I-1 district

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

Town of Redcliff council voted in favour of changing the land use amendment to allow for taxi services to be used in I-1 (Industrial 1)-Light Industrial District at their July 20 meeting.

The issue came up back in May where a taxi service wanted to open up in Redcliff.

“When they looked into the land use bylaw, it wasn’t listed as a use in Industrial 1 and it’s listed in less intensive uses,” said Redcliff Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick.

“It was mostly an oversight. What happened was originally the interested party paid to start a land use change and council ended up determining that truly he should not have to do that. We should do that on our own.”

The town gave back the application fee and put the transaction through the municipality.

“Planning felt that the taxi should have been allowed there before,” said Kilpatrick.

“We just straighten up something that they thought might have gotten missed the last time the land use bylaw had a review.”

Currently, taxis are under the “C-3” category, which allows cabs to have a downtown area business.

“There’s no reason why a taxi couldn’t have an office out in an industrial area because their use wouldn’t affect any other neighbours or uses in that district,” said Kilpatrick.

“You try to get uses that are compatible and not disturbing each other. A taxi service wouldn’t disturb an I-1 use, which would be anything like plumbing and heating shops, electrical shops, light industrial.”

Bylaw 1909/2020

Council passed the last two readings of Bylaw 1909/2020, which will reclassify Lots 32-34 (Residential Transition) at 13 Seventh Street NW and Lots 21-31 (Commercial District) at 39 Seventh Street NW from Horticultural District and Residential Transition District to Residential Control District.

“That’s an individual owner (Tim Coehoorn) that wants to put up a building that does not conform to the land use bylaw,” said Kilpatrick.

“He actually has two properties. One is zoned Residential Transition District and the other one was zoned Commercial. He wanted to build an oversized garage on the Residential Transition District or it would not have been allowed. What he wanted was then to consolidate the two properties, get it rezoned, and then he can apply to build his oversized garage.”

Coehoorn will now have to apply under the Direct Control District for a development permit and in turn will have to get council’s approval.

Rec-Tangle Arena parking lot project.

A project that started a year ago will finish with internal forces. The Public Works department will do the Rec-Tangle Arena parking lot project line painting and the basketball hoops will be completed through the Community and Protective Services Facilities budget. There will be a reallocation of $18,525 from the gravel budget towards the project’s budget.

Kilpatrick says if the contractor continued with the things they had planned, they would have gone over budget.

Fuel tank replacement project

Council has awarded the fuel tank replacement project to Mid-West Pump at a budget of $90,000. Funding will be provided by purchase reserves.

It was upon inspection in March that the vacuum seal between the inner and outer steel wall on the gasoline fuel tank had failed and could not be repaired. Three new 10,000-litre tanks will be installed where the existing tanks are located in the public works yard. The existing 4,500-litre tank will be disposed of.

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